Department for Communities and Local Government

Planning Permission

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Planning Inspectorate invited comments from the applicant and interested parties regarding the Swansea Bay Lagoon Application (EN010049), including the consideration of alternatives to the proposed lagoon project, but did not do so in respect of the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Each application is examined in the context of relevant designated National Policy Statements.   For the Thames Tideway Tunnel application the relevant national policy is contained in the Waste Water National Policy Statement (paragraph 2.6.34), which states:   "The examining authority and the decision maker should undertake any assessment of an application for the development of the Thames Tunnel on the basis that the national need for this infrastructure has been demonstrated". "It would be for Thames Water to justify in its application the specific design and route of the project that it is proposing, including any other options it has considered and ruled out."The Examining Authority (Panel) appointed to examine the Thames Tideway Tunnel did ask written questions and hold hearings about alternatives to the applicant’s above ground site selection process and tunnel drive / construction strategy, but as directed by the National Policy Statements, the Panel did not consider alternatives to a tunnel.In the case of the Swansea Tidal Lagoon application the Secretary of State is due to issue his decision on 10 June 2015. It would not be appropriate to comment in any detail on the examination of this application in advance of the Secretary of State’s decision. However, suffice to say that there are no designated National Policy Statements for tidal range power generating schemes.

Department for Transport

European Rail Traffic Management System

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the European Rail Traffic Management System on the development of the Digital Railway.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Digital Railway initiative is still under development by Network Rail and the industry. The full impact on the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is being assessed as part of the development.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding that country's co-operation with the International Criminal Court concerning charges of war crimes.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Israel is not a party to the Statute of the International Criminal Court. Nonetheless we have encouraged the Israelis, as we do all countries, to cooperate with the preliminary examination currently being conducted by the Office of the Prosecutor of the Court.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for lifting the blockade of Gaza; and what plans, if any, they have to achieve this.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Israeli restrictions damage the economy and living standards of ordinary people in Gaza. There remains an urgent need for all the parties to reach an agreement that addresses the underlying causes of the conflict in Gaza. This should ensure that Hamas and other militant groups permanently end rocket fire and other attacks against Israel and that Israel lifts its restrictions to allow the Gazan economy to grow. We welcome the recent positive steps that Israel has taken to ease some restrictions. However, we want to see Israel go much further, and we are continuing to call on Israel to do so.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Egypt regarding free passage of goods and people via the Rafah crossing.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are concerned about the closure of the Rafah Pedestrian Crossing and the impact that has, particularly on urgent medical and other priority cases in Gaza. The crossing has been mostly closed since the start of the year while the Egyptian government construct a buffer zone, though we understand the crossing has been opened in recent days for entry into Gaza.We have encouraged the Egyptian authorities to ease the movement of bona fide travellers through Rafah, and in the longer term to consider expanding Rafah to passenger transit and humanitarian goods transit, which will help to ease humanitarian pressures. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised the importance of reopening the Rafah crossing when he spoke with the Egyptian Foreign Minister on 14 January. We continue to raise this issue in our contacts with the Egyptian government.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with European partners regarding stationing a UN force within Gaza, including NATO coast patrols.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not had any discussions with European partners regarding stationing a UN force within Gaza, including North Atlantic Treaty Organisation coast patrols.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the statement by Prime Minister Netanyahu that "circumstances have to change" for a two-state solution with Palestine to be achievable, what assessment they have made of the possibility of peace negotiations resuming.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Making progress towards the two state solution remains a foreign policy priority for the UK. We note Prime Minister’s Netanyahu’s statements after the election that Israel is committed to the Middle East Peace Process and achieving a two state solution. We continue to urge all parties, including Israel, to show through policies and actions that this commitment is genuine.

Libya: Politics and Government

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whom they now recognise as the legitimate government of Libya.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Libyan people exercised their democratic right and elected the interim House of Representatives in the June 2014 Libyan parliamentary elections. The UK is deeply concerned by the subsequent violence and political polarisation in Libya, and its impact on the Libyan people and the stability of the wider region. We support a fully inclusive national dialogue and reconciliation to complete the next stage of Libya’s political transition. We call on all Libyan parties to engage in the UN-led dialogue process to agree an inclusive Government of National Accord which meets the Libyan people’s needs for security, and promotes stability and prosperity for all Libyans.

Yemen

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Saudi Arabia concerning the present situation in Yemen.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), are both in regular contact with the Government of Saudi Arabia about the situation in Yemen, particularly to emphasise the importance of ensuring sustained humanitarian access and moving to a durable political solution. We work closely with Saudi Arabia across a range of shared foreign policy priorities and interests and Yemen is clearly a top priority for both countries. We continue to work with all parties to bring an end to the conflict.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Nuclear Power Stations: Decommissioning

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recently announced reduction in the number of employees working on the decommissioning of nuclear power stations and the possible safety implications for those locations.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: This is a commercial matter for Cavendish Fluor Partnership who were last year appointed by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) as the Magnox Parent Body Organisation to deliver greater effectiveness and efficiency in the decommissioning of the 12 Magnox sites. The Magnox programme is a closure programme and, inevitably, this means that workforce numbers will reduce as the sites are decommissioned.The Government sympathises with those directly affected and is assured by the NDA, which has been fully involved in discussions with Magnox on its new organisational structure, that the company will implement its plans in line with industry best practice in order to mitigate the impact of job losses, and with fairness and respect for its staff.Nothing will be done to compromise safety and security. The independent regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is also content with the programme.

Department for Work and Pensions

Terrorism: British Nationals Abroad

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many United Kingdom nationals who have returned from fighting for Islamic State in either Iraq, Syria, or both, or are currently believed to be fighting for Islamic State in those countries, were or are in receipt of state benefits whilst abroad.

Lord Freud: The information is not available. In order to be eligible to receive state benefits, eligibility conditions usually require a claimant to be resident in the United Kingdom. We have strict rules that are designed to prevent people taking inappropriate advantage of our benefit system to protect the taxpayer and the benefit system from possible abuse. Claimants are required to tell DWP if they leave the country to travel abroad. If they move overseas without informing the Department then we investigate and can stop benefit payments.

Social Security

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to consult publicly on the proposed scale of reductions in social security budgets and the form in which those reductions may be delivered.

Lord Freud: The Government’s commitment to save £12bn from welfare spending was set out in its election manifesto. Further details will be given in due course.